Review: AC/DC in San Jose

I caught the return engagement of AC/DC’s “Black Ice World Tour” on Wednesday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. I enjoyed it more than my first go-around, which came back in December at Oracle Arena in Oakland, mainly because I’d lowered my expectations.

That doesn’t mean that the new songs from last year’s “Black Ice” album sounded any better than they did in Oakland – in particular, “War Machine,” might be the single worst song AC/DC has ever done, and that’s really saying something. Yet, in the moment, the other new songs (“Big Jack,” “Anything Goes”) gave “War Machine” a run for the title.

Also, Brian Johnson’s voice has only grown worse, barely rising above a rasp at times. Now, he wasn’t great in Oakland, either, but he was able to challenge the guitars at times and make his presence felt last year.

But it’s hard not to enjoy the band’s great rhythm section of guitarist Malcolm Young, drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams. And Angus Young, as limited a guitarist as he is, certainly works hard for fans’ money.

And there were a ton of fans – a near-full house at HP. Combine that with the business witnessed for Def Leppard at Shoreline (from what I hear, 20,000-plus) and you have a whole mess of classic rock fans enjoying themselves in the South Bay.

I have no problem understanding the continued popularity of AC/DC’s classic material, but where I get lost is in trying to figure out how the group keeps right on selling new product. “Black Ice,” a work that defines mediocrity, was the second best selling album IN THE WORLD last year. It came in just a notch behind Coldplay’s excellent album.

Has there ever been a worse album to rank in at No. 2 on the year-end world sales chart? I’d have a hard time believing it. Care to argue? Well, do your research and then you tell me what the worst No. 2 album of all time is?

Here’s the set list from San Jose:
Rock n Roll Train
Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hells Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
Dog Eat Dog
Anything Goes
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Encore:
Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock